I just found out that parents in Jakarta have been registering their kids to go to favourite primary schools/SD since their kids are toddlers and even PGs/kindergartens since they’re babies or not even born yet! Crazyy…
So, how are the Baktiluginas doing it then?
Well, we’re traditionalists. We can’t afford to get Raka and his younger siblings to go to those kinds of schools, we haven’t even decided when he should start school. Probably straight to TK at 4 years, we’re not enthusiastic about sending them to school at 2 years old. So just get him to go to a regular TK, then send him to a government school in SD or maybe just a modest but good private school, preferable one that’s Islamic. From SMP to SMA probably to boarding school or pesantren if he wants to, but if not, just to regular government school. Not the ultimate favourite one, they give the students with too much study load, but not one that’s off the charts either. Probably something like the 3rd favourite out of the district (rayon maksudnya, masih pake system itu ga sih? In my time, the favourite one for the whole of Jakarta is 8, then for my district 81, then there’s the standard ones like 21 and 61, nah kira-kira Raka masuk yang standar 21 atau dibawahnya gitu).
Sure, I’m totally for the new student-centred learning schools, but they just cost too much, but they don’t reeeally provide guarantee that my kids will be more successful learning in that kind of school, right? Sometimes it just depends on the child’s ability to adapt. Intinya, ga mau nanti nyesel “Mama udah capek-capek nabung mati-matian buat nyekolahin kamu, terus kamu begini begitu bla bla..”
Banyak nih kejadian, di kantor ketemu anak-anak dari keluarga berada yang sekolah di sekolah internasional yang mahal, tapi nilainya malah jelek. Ujung-ujungnya bingung cari sekolah karena ga ada yang mau nerima, dan ambil ujian kesetaraan Paket C yang pamornya juaaauhh di bawah kualifikasi international di sekolahnya yang dulu (ujian Paket C kan buat yang, ehm, tidak bisa mengenyam pendidikan formal, usually because of economic constraints). Nah, akhirnya datang ke saya dan daftar sekolah keluar negeri menggunakan ijazah Paket C yang setara SMA, karena nilai International Baccalaureate atau A Level atau apapun yang dia pelajari di sekolah internasional tersebut menyedihkan banget. Isn’t ironic? Nah, kalau kejadian gitu sama saya apa nggak nyesek, karena kami kan bukan dari keluarga berada, kalau mau nyekolahin anak di sekolah swasta yang biasa aja harus nabung ekstra, kalau mau yang bagus ya mati-matian nabungnya. So tetep, cost and benefit. And learning from experience, kalau Mama Papanya (aka. Me and Akang) are graduands from government schools, dan kita bisa-bisa aja tuh sekolah tinggi2 di luar negeri.
Well the ultimate wish is Raka can get some schooling overseas while me or Akang is studying, just like I did before. Meskipun ga terlalu lama, bakalan tetep ngaruh. Buktinya IELTS saya 8.5 dan ada band yang 9.0 (maksimum score IELTS adalah 9). Hehe bukannya nyombong, tapi ngaruh itu 3.5 tahun di Aussie. Karena setelah itu, saya balik ke Indonesia dang a pernah les Inggris sama sekali, tapi begitu tes dapetnya segituan.
Mudah-mudahan rejeki Raka ya, bisa sekolah diluar negeri selagi masih kecil, amiiin!
